Has S.A.D. Driven Joe to the Fiery Pit?

Issue #53

Blog #15-2017

Section: Joe’s Doctor Encounters

This blog could easily be in the Joe’s Life category as I deal with this every year.

For those of you that look at profile pictures you noticed I changed mine on Facebook to the one on te right side around the last of February or the first of March. This photograph describes my feelings to a tee.

I hate four things with a passion, and the first quarter of every year, all four of these events align casting a dark shadow and overwhelming me with their mystical force.

The way I combat this phenomenon is to withdraw from all social activities. I know my limitations, temper, and how hard it is to control my mouth.

For that reason I avoid all social contact which includes social media, going out to eat, or anything else where I’m around people in general. I very seldom answer the phone if I don’t recognize the number and I sure as hell don’t call anyone.

Toward the middle of April is when I began to venture out , any time before then it literally makes me angry to leave the house or interact with people.

I’ll be the first person to tell you that I have issues, both mentally and physically. I take measures to keep both in check but the first quarter of every year, overwhelms me to the point of total frustration which eventually leads to the above mentioned anger. That’s the reason for the withdrawal.

I have been diagnosed with S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) but there is more to it than that.

Plus I’m not real sure S.A.D. is a disorder. After all drug companies and doctors will make up disorders and diseases in order to make money. Think about it if we were all healthy, neither of them would be making any cash.

What are these events that take place that makes me go into seclusion. Well they are minor events, and individually I can handle with no problem, but stacked on top of each other is a formula for disaster. We will start with the weather, as that is what all the medical professionals seem to think triggers S.A.D.

Weather – I hate winter. My left side from waist down suffered a traumatic injury in 1977. I’ve had more surgeries on that hip, knee, leg, ankle, and foot than I can count. Getting through a metal detector is always fun with all the plates, screws, and wires that hold me together. The cold weather along with dampness (rain, snow, ice) causes it all to become stiff, ache and hurt, my fused ankle gives me the most fits. My limp becomes more prominent, which leads to spasms in my back. Now January and February or the coldest months, March and April or damp, all four are gloomy. Toss in the fact when I’m in a high level of pain, I’m irritable as hell, so I stay away from people, and expect people to stay away from me.

Health (A) – Within the first quarter of each year is when my yearly trip to the heart specialist is scheduled to have the old ticker checked out. They always seem to find something else wrong and the stress of knowing this but not knowing what they will find adds to the aggravation. It would help some if they would… do it around May or June, but no it’s always in January or February when its the coldest. Then they will schedule a battery of test that will keep running back and forth till around the end March.

Health (B) Due to my health I can’t escape the cold and travel to a warmer climate. By that I mean the doctor highly suggest that I stay with in a 50 mile radius of Vanderbilt Hospital and from what I have been told so for this year it appears I shall remain grounded like I have been since 2014. This pisses me off as I feel like I’m locked in a large prison, and my sentence is to suffer the elements of nature.

[Bloggers note: I tested the doctor a couple of times and ventured out of my radius, but learned my lesson in 2015. Yep two days before Thanksgiving, I suffered my fourth or fifth heart attack, I have lost count of those also. The first thing I was told by my doctor. the following,]

“Good thing you were close, if not you would be dead, you almost coded in the ER. ” He has a great bedside manner.

The Government (IRS) since the early nineties the IRS and myself haven’t seen eye to eye on nothing. It got better for a while, meaning we left each other alone. During this time we keep a watchful eye on one another. More or less laying in wait for the other to pounce so we could counter. Well as we know April is tax time and the fun began. The IRS didn’t like the weasel maneuver I pulled to get around the laws and withdrew my entire pension before 59-1/2 or whatever the appropriate age is. All I know it ain’t 56 and that was how old I was when I received the payout. Not going to get into all of it so here is a quick summary. They claimed I owed x amount of money. I claimed I didn’t. It took a an accountant and last nine years of tax returns to convince them of this. When it was all said and done they owed me money. That would make the normal person happy, but with me it was an aggravation that could have been avoided and added more stress to the already stressful month.

Legal Issues – Last year in February, me and several others got hit with a civil damages law suit that steamed from a company we all use to work for. I hadn’t worked for this particular place since 1998. After contacting my personal attorney in Georgia, where the law suite originated, he handled the rest getting me in contact with the corporate lawyers of the company that we all were employed by. I figured that I was clear for being severed papers at the house this year. Wrong. I was served papers to appear in child support court in February of this year, almost to the date of last years special delivery. It appears that Georgia changed the law so they had to re-figure what I owed. The kicker, the subpoena had an attachment from Georgia that told me how much that was. Going to court was a waste of my time and money. All they did was tell me what was written on the documentation from Georgia that was the attachment. All they wanted was the $145.0 court coast which you pay no matter the outcome. I have two cases from Georgia, they won’t schedule the court dates on the same date. That way they can collect $145.0 x 2 instead of one fee.

Things are looking up as May has come into the picture. The days are getting longer and the sun feels good. I took a mini vacation over my birthday which relieved a ton of stress.

[Bloggers Note: Please remember I am not a Doctor. I do visit several doctors all in different specialties, have my own personal BSRN, AKA The Queen, and have stayed in a lot of Holiday Inns over the years, but I am not a medical professional. My advice and treatment options or mine and mine alone. I do not diagnose and/or treat others.]

Now that the legal disclosure is out of the way; Here are a few things I do to combat the stress and anger that the first quarter of every year brings on.

Music – The old saying is true, music calms the beast. However it has to be the right kind of music. What works best for me is the Blues, old rock and roll, old country along with classical music. One of those genres is always playing on the satellite radio when I’m downstairs, which is all the time.

Meditation –Takes the mind to a better place and relaxes the soul. I’m a firm believer in meditation and do it often

Exercise – I don’t do this enough, as I hate getting out in cold weather. So I do yoga at the house and love to plank, sometimes while meditating.

Tanning Bed – If you can’t have the real thing artificial sun will do.

Bourbon – One shot of bourbon a day will keep the body warm and will relax the mind. One shot is two ounces, so don’t grab the bottle and turn it up.

Here are a few things I do not do as I think they add to the problem, like drinking too much Bourbon.

Pain Medicines – I don’t take any type of narcotic drug. I like for my mind to stay clear, my trigger finger under my control, and my reflex’s at their normal cat-like speed.

Since I’m in constant pain of some level everyday Doctors have been trying for years to get me to go to a pain clinic. I refuse, I have been in pain for forty years I have learned how to cope with it for the most part.

Plus I have seen first hand what being addicted to narcotics, street or prescribed, can do to a person. In my opinion Pain Clinics are legal drug pushers, and sooner or later their clients will become addicted to the drug they prescribe.

The sad part most of them have no idea they are hooked and will argue with you till the cows come home that they are not.

Phsychotrophic Drugs – I don’t take those either for the same reason listed above. However I have a loved one who is a lot like me that takes what they call a happy pill.

There appears to be no side effects, they can function normally and do not feel drugged at all. Since I have to go to the doctor on Friday, I may check on these. See I’m not against all medication, just those that hinder my thought process.

Till next time,

–JEC–

[Publishers note: The opinions and/or endorsements in this blog are the blogger’s and only published by ThunderHorse Publishing. The opinions and/or endorsements do not necessarily represent the views of ThunderHorse Publishing.]